Something from Nothing
by The Orange Jedi
Summary: Final book in my Memories Puzzles Trilogy! Riku has severed his ties with his past darkness, but what if those ties are the only way to repair a family torn apart by the Nobodies? Can he truly live his life seperated from his shadows?
1. Shadows in his Soul

**_Hi guys! It's not like me to leave an AN, so listen up! This is the SAME story as the one I deleted. It's going the same place, I just didn't like the original way I chose to portray it. I was trying a new style, and it had an unfortunate crash ending. I didn't like the way it sounded when I read it to myself. So, same story, back to my original style, try it on again, and don't forget to REVIEW, cuz I'm REALLY starved for them._**

**_JMO_**

**Chapter one:  
Shadows on the dresser, Shadows in his soul**

Shadows danced in the mirror as Riku drew his hand away from the candle on the dresser, shaking the match to extinguish the flame. He tried to ignore their erratic movements, focusing instead on the warm glow emanating from the candle. It seemed so small, so fragile. He shuddered, thinking how easily two fingers could snuff it, darkening his room and leaving him to helpless to resist the whims of the blackness he knew still lingered in his heart.

A knock at the entrance to his chamber drew him from his grim musings. He looked up as Sora thrust his head through the door. Riku motioned for him to come in, discarding the charred match in a small wastebasket by the nightstand. He sat a circular table, the kind usually found in hotel rooms. Though Riku offered him a chair, Sora did not join him, leaving the spare seat unoccupied.

"How're you feeling?" Sora asked. Riku had been ill off and on ever since their return to the Destiny Islands. When Sora had announced his plans to revisit some of the now-disconnected worlds (with the help of a Gummi Ship sent along with a summons from the King) Riku had been bedridden with a terrible fever. Sora had tried to leave the ill boy behind, but Riku refused to allow his friend to depart alone, and Kairi was world-bound by her day classes. On Kairi's request, Sora had waited for Riku's fever to break, and then the boys left the islands together.

"Better," Riku lied. "I wish this place had electricity. I could use a hot shower."

"Sorry," Sora laughed, "but it's just for tonight. It was really good of Belle and the Prince to let us stay here. Don't worry, we'll leave tomorrow and we should make it the rest of the way to Radiant Gardens." He paused to allow Riku a comment, but Riku had nothing to say. "Are you sure you feel alright, Riku?"

Riku knew that Sora wouldn't believe him, but he nodded anyway.

"Alright," Sora sounded resigned. He made for the door. "Try to get some rest, Ok? The Gummi Ship…"

"I know," Riku said, "Happy thoughts, right? Don't worry." Riku smiled as convincingly as he could manage, but with his sickly pale skin and flushed cheeks, it wasn't very effective, he knew. Still, Sora nodded and made for the door.

Before he had completely closed it behind him, Riku heard the soft, kind voice of their hostess questioning, "How is he feeling? Is there anything we can do for him?" Sora's answer, however, was lost in the click of the bolt as Riku locked himself in.

How embarrassing. He had forced this unplanned visit upon Sora and these people by accident. Apparently, he and Gummi Ships were less than compatible. Why in all the worlds couldn't he just get over himself and be happy, he wondered. What was so hard about it, really?

_It's because of the darkness_, a voice from inside informed him._ How can anyone be happy when the power of darkness is consuming them from within? You're afraid, Riku! And rightly so; it is very wise of you to be concerned._

No! No, the darkness held no power over him now. He had freed himself from its influence. There was nothing for him to fear; the shadows could no longer reach him.

_Then why do you shiver? It's not cold. Your illness isn't the flu. Your past hasn't simply disappeared. You're still Riku, and the darkness lusts for you. _

These thoughts were unsettling, but he was too weak to dwell on them. He dipped a cloth in the washbasin beside the bed, draping it over his forehead as he collapsed on the goose-down mattress, drawing the canopy back to keep it from casting a shadow over the comforter.

He glanced at the dresser, watching as wax slowly dripped down the sides of the crème colored candle, pooling in the small tray which rested beneath it. That candle was tall—it would last many hours, he knew, but not until daylight. What would he do when its liberating glow dimmed? He clenched his jaw shut as the familiar wave of nausea swept over him.

He did not with to be left alone at the mercy of the shadows.


	2. The Messenger's a Ditz

**Chapter two:  
The Messenger's a Ditz**

The cobblestones were cool beneath his heated cheek. At first, the sensation was pleasant, soothing. He wanted very badly not to move. The street pulsed a warning, shuddering with the hurried footsteps of concerned witnesses who flocked to the site. Riku listened detachedly to their anxious drivel.

"What happened?"

"Is that Sora?"

"No, it couldn't be! He's never—"

"It is! That's Sora's ship! Someone call Leon!"

"What could have—"

"You don't think…heartless?"

"No! Those attacks are few and far between!"

"But if not heartless, then—"

"Don't just stand there, morons!" A clear, authoritative voice drowned out their scatterbrained gossip. "Dig them out!"

As the crowd shifted in accordance to the woman's request, someone exclaimed,

"Tera! You shouldn't be outside in this weather! You'll catch your death!"

"I can be where-ever I want to be!" Tera snapped in reply, her tone suggesting that she did not appreciate their protective tendencies.

The debris crushing Riku's back and legs shifted, the noise of the rubble drowning out the rest of the conversation around him. He felt the horrid pressure of the rubble lifted off at last, and then there was a pause.

"This isn't Sora…" Willing hands pulled him out, helping him to sit up once he was free. "Is Sora with you, son?" Riku studied his rescuer. The man was middle-aged, with chestnut hair that was graying at the temples. He nodded slightly, the motion causing him pain.

"Sora…" he muttered, almost delirious. He tried to stand up, to help them excavate the wreckage. He couldn't support himself, and keeled over with a muted curse.

"Donovan!" Riku opened his eyes as a foot stepped down right in front of him, the boot barely an inch away from his nose. He tried to get up, protesting, but the owner of the boot had already squatted down, helping Riku into an upright position.

The man who had dug Riku out turned back around, attending to the summons. "Yes, Leon?" It was obvious that Leon commanded some respect.

"Donovan," Leon repeated, "take him to Merlin. Have the wizard see to his injuries." Riku felt his eyes widen. A sorcerer? Here? He struggled weakly against Donovan's strong arms. No magic, he wanted to scream, No magic, unless it was Sora's. He could trust Sora's magic.

A hand on his arm signaled someone trying to placate him. His head lolled as he searched for them.

"Don't worry," the woman said. Riku heard her as if through a haze. He could barely see her. "Leon will get Sora out. And you can trust Merlin. He's a good man, and a skilled wizard." The woman was thin, small-boned, and dark skinned. She might have been tall, he thought, had she not been confined to a wheel chair.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to think of her as frail. Maybe it was the fever, but…it seemed…Her eyes, he tone, the way she presented herself…she had a power about her. No, this woman was not frail.

Himself, on the other hand…he sighed inwardly. His poor pride couldn't take much more of this, he thought, slipping into unconsciousness.

He awoke with a start. Sora's face was much too close to Riku's for the latter to feel any bit of comfort. Riku pushed the grinning countenance away, murmuring more curses. Sora continued to grin, his honest relief apparent on his innocent face.

"About time!" Sora laughed. His grin was lopsided due to a split lip, and bruises had closed his right eye. A clean bandage wrapped around his temple, mussing his chestnut hair, but it didn't seem to be causing him any extreme amount of discomfort.

"What happened?" Riku asked, sitting up. His fever was gone, but its aftereffects lingered in his spinning vision and shaking hands.

"The gummi ship had a malfunction." Sora informed him. Riku noticed that he didn't mention the fact that the malfunction had been linked to Riku's cloudy mindset. He didn't have to. They both already knew. "But don't worry!" Sora chirped brightly, "Cid's the best mechanic I know—he'll have it fixed soon. Then we can go home!"

Going home? Well, that meant they had at least made it Radiant Gardens. A small blessing.

"How long—"

"Half a day," Sora said. "You've been unconscious the whole time. Though, I'm not surprised you woke up now…Tutu's been making a racket ever since I shut him out…"

Riku deduced that Tutu was the dog that was howling on the other side The creature was damnably loud.

Riku sat up, examining his surrounding with a small smile. The room obviously belonged to a child—the bed was too small and the sheets (that feel liquidly away from his naked figure as he shifted) were pastel pink. Stuffed animals lined the floorboards and piled in the corners. He smiled wider when his eyes fell upon a large collection of stuffed moogles. They made him think of Kairi. His friend had a purple moogle charm on her key ring.

"Tera's washing your clothes," Sora told him apologetically, "But, if you feel well enough to get up, I'm sure we could find you something…" Sora himself was wearing a rugged pair of blue jeans and someone else's flannel workshirt.

Riku started to nod, but a giggly commotion outside the door interrupted his motion. As Sora went to investigate, Riku assured himself that the sheets covered him decently.

"Stoppit TootToot! Lemme through!" Sora opened the door to admit the small child—whom a large mastiff had been maulijng with his tongue. The dog also entered, against Sora's raised protests, and bounded to the bedside. Riku offered his hand for inspection. Tutu sniffed, his hackles risking as a growl rose in his throat. Riku quickly withdrew, unwilling to have his fingers snapped.

"Stoppit TootToot!" The child admonished, yanking the mastiff's tail. The dog whimpered and sat obediently, droopint his ears and appearing chagrined.

Sora stroked Tutu's head distractedly. "This is Erin—Tera's daughter. You're in her room."

Something about Erin was familiar. Her strawberry hair fell in long Shirley Temple ringlets around a face that was slightly too angular for a toddler, and her piercing green eyes seemed to stare into his soul without meaning to. Where had he seen those eyes before?

"Hey, M-mister!" Erin tugged on Sora's sleeve, "M-mommy said t-to g-give these to y-you." She handed up a bundle of clothes. "They were d-daddy's. M-mommy thinks they'll f-fit him." She pointed at Riku as if he were an object entirely separate from the speaking, sentient world.

"Thanks," Sora flashed a smile down hat her. "But, I told you! Call me Sora!"

"Mommy says its r-rude." She shook her head stubbornly.

"I'll just have to talk to her then, won't I? I want you to call me Sora! And this guy—" He drew her attention back to his friend, "is my best friend, Riku!"

"Hullo." She smiled shyly, clinging to Sora's hand and sucking on her free hand. Riku gave her a small wave, and did his best to mold his face into a cheery expression. He still couldn't place her, and it troubled him. Those eyes were so familiar.

"Hey mist…Sora? H-how long is he gonna stay in my room?"

"Not long," Riku promised, "I'll get dressed and be out of here as soon as you like."

Erin nodded, accepting that. "Bye!" she said, quite suddenly, pulling Tutu's collar and exiting hastily, dragging the large mastiff behind her.

"Cute kid," Riku offered, taking the clothing from Sora and examining it. Black, all of it. Ironic, he thought, as he pulled the shirt over his head, and no accident, he was sure. Their hostess was an intriguing woman.

"She looks a lot like her Dad," Sora said, "Even…" he paused, as if he had suddenly thought better of his statement. He revised it quickly, saying, "even in the pictures around the house."

"Her dad is tall," Riku noted. The pants were several inches too long for him, and he was no shrimp. Sora shifted as if the sight of Riku clothied all in black made him uncomfortable. "Will he mind me borrowing his clothes like this? I can wait for mine,"

"He won't mind," Said a voice from the doorway. Riku and Sora started, taken completely surprise. Tera laughed without humor. "My husband won't mind if you keep those clothes, if you rip them or burn them. My husband…has been lost in the Nothing."

- - -

"You!" Riku gaped, "The message…for you?" Now that his brain was not muddled by fever he knew her. This woman had been among the Nobodies—Riku himself had witnessed her last moments. How had she come to be here? What had kept her away from the Nothing when she had Faded?

"You two know each other?" Sora asked, bewildered, "Riku? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know her name—I just recognize her voice…and her eyes…" He apologized. He eyed Tera warily, feeling like a stag brought to bay.

"I didn't know your name or your face." Tera informed him, maneuvering her wheelchair through the door, "I had hoped never to hear your voice again."

"How?" Sora asked shakily. "Tera…you were in a coma…"

"No! I was not! I was in pieces—a Nobody in the Organization. You knew that!" She protested as Sora flinched back. Riku was mildly amused at this reaction. What? Where the Nobodies suddenly scary again? Or were they only frightening when they manifested in the souls of the people Sora knew?

"I…I didn't realize…Raxet?" Sora asked shakily. "So then…Axel and Alex…" Tera nodded, obviously surprised that it had taken Sora so long and so much prodding to make the connection.

"Tera?" Riku broke in softly, kneeling to make eye contact, and holding her hand. He looked quite dashing, sincere, and rather noble. King Mickey would have been proud. "I'm sure that forgiveness will be hard to beg of you," He began, "But what happened…what I did…it was for the better. Sora was successful, after all. And you yourself played no small part."

"I'm not upset," She waved his apology away, "Afterward, I returned here, became whole. It is what Raxet accepted."

Sora looked away.

"She accepted, obviously," Riku pressed, standing. Sora, he knew, was grappling with his thoughts, trying to bring himself to the point where he could fully understand the conversation. If Riku had to guess, Sora had only just now finished joining together the link between Tera, Raxet, Axel, and Alex. "But…I wonder…is it what she wanted? What _youI _wanted?"

"Of course not!" Tera snapped.

"Because he's not here?" Riku surmised. He took a picture off Erin's dresser, examining the man he saw there. Yes, those were the eyes. Erin had her father's eyes, deep, emotional, emeralds.

Tera did not answer the question. She spun her chair and forcefully released her brakes, wheeling away. "Your clothes are in the dryer." She said, shortly, "And you're welcome to stay here as long as it takes Cid to repair your gummiship.

Sora looked questioningly at Riku, but the other simply shrugged. After an awkward moment, Sora asked, "So…wanna tour the town?"


	3. The Realm Between Light and Dark

**Chapter Three:**

**The Realm between Light and Dark**

Funny how quickly a friend can be made from an enemy. Or, maybe the darkness had never really been his enemy. Riku knew that his existence was, most honestly, in that grey area. He did not truly belong in Sora's world of Light, was not really at home in Xehanort's realm of blackness.

He watched as Sora's chest rose and fell, rose and fell in the steady rhythm of a dream. His mouth hung open, and a slight snore escaped the maw of the universe's savior. Riku smiled, amused.

For a moment more, he continued his watching. Then, quite suddenly and smoothly, he rose, his blankets spilling to the floor where he had rested. Silently, he padded out of the room, his footsteps rendered mute by thick socks.

Tutu was posted as a sentry, guarding the front door with his massive figure sprawled bulkily across the mat. Riku knew he could not exit there; even should he try to wake the hound, he would not be allowed to pass.

However, shadows didn't need doors. Riku smirked as he reached into the blackness and opened a portal. Seconds later, he stepped easily onto the manufactured floors of what had once been Ansem's workshop. He feared no detection—Radiant Gardens was deep in slumber, secure in the thought that no threat remained to them. Easily, so easily, Riku bypassed the security codes that guarded Tron's main unit and reached into his pocket for the diskette.

Once produced, he studied it.

_Last chance,_ the voice told him. _You can still go back to Sora. You can try to live with him, in this realm of Light._

Unlikely, he knew. Tempting, all the same. No one had to know about the darkness festering in his soul. Even the wizard hadn't noticed. Riku could build upon his semi-cheerful façade, could become "normal".

_But…the Darkness will always be there, _the voice cautioned. _It owns a piece of you, Riku. As much as the Light does. And the demands of the Darkness are more urgent by far._

Like an addict, Riku thought, almost bitterly. He just couldn't seem to shake these habits, these needs.

_If you put that disk in, you'll have made up your mind,_ the voice cautioned. _Sora might not be able to bring you back, and you won't be able to navigate _that_ road without his innocent heart._

Long seconds passed while he considered the disk and computer port. Without really thinking all the way to his conclusion, he made the decision. He slid the disk into the drive.

"That's what we thought, too," Though he was startled, Riku didn't jump. He paused, making sure the disk was entirely in the computer, before turning smoothly to face Tera. "Me, Leon. But Sora refuses to listen to reason of any sort. He can't stand to think he'll have to fight you, again."

"He is kind of stubborn," Riku agreed casually, leaning against the mainframe. "What are you doing out of your chair?" For indeed, Tera was standing, albeit shakily and with the aid of two well-worn crutches.

"I'd almost hoped that we were wrong about you, for Sora's sake," She stared past him, at the program that was whirring on Tron's screen, even as the computer tried desperately to override it. "He is such a nice boy." She didn't seem overly concerned about what she was witnessing, but Riku knew that she had been in the Memories department. She knew what he was doing, could understand the figures that flashed in a panic across the monitor.

"Are you sure you want to do this? This method is…painful," She continued watching the data, her eyes darting back and forth across the screen as she followed their progress.

"I know," Riku said, glancing over his shoulder while keeping one eye on the woman. "But it's the only option immediately available to me."

"You realize that I can't just allow you to vandalize Tron and open a Divider."

"I surmised as much. But don't think I'm going to let you beat me just because you're crippled. I'll feel bad about it, but…" He shrugged delicately. If she insisted on getting in his way, she was going to be hurt. "You'd be better off going back to bed."

"No. I can't just leave you here with Tron, pretend I never saw you." She shook her head, "But there is another alternative." Riku studied her face, trying to read her emotions, her mind. Another alternative, she said? Her crystalline eyes were steely with familiar determination. Suddenly he noticed that she was dressed as if for work, in a long lab coat, with her goggles propped atop her flaxen hair. Around her neck hung a thick chain, plain and unadorned, save for a ring that was obviously a marriage band, despite its simplicity.

Seeing all this, Riku understood. "If you like," he shrugged, dispassionate. "But as you said, this method is painful."

"As _you_ said, it is my only option."

"Saving him is not on my agenda," he informed her. "I promise you no aid."

"I don't want your help," She snapped. "I can find him on my own."

Riku turned around, giving his full attention to the program, or so it seemed. He was hiding his face, calculating rapidly. He did not want Tera or Raxet roaming lost through the Nothing for eternity. They would get in his way, eventually. And so would Axel, though if Riku could keep him from finding out that Tera was seeking him, Axel would be better off locked away. Riku did not want to face the passionate man in battle. Helping Tera would restore a dangerous Ally to the Light. Was he confident enough in his own abilities to make this move? He could dispose of Tera here, and that would eliminate the problem.

Unless Axel heard about it, which turned the plan upon itself in a revolving circle.

No, the best solution was to let Tera into the Nothing, and help her find and Restore her husband. He would have to be careful, however. For now, Tera would be his ally of necessity. Upon being reunited with her husband, however, Riku knew that she would instantly return to the world of the Light, for the Darkness had not infected her as it had infected him.

Still, there would be time for that. Perhaps the Darkness could claim her during the quest. And then _he_, Riku, would have a powerful ally.

"Are you certain that this is the path you choose?" He asked neutrally, without turning.

"Yes." Her voice was solid, her road decided.

"Then step over there," He motioned to the pad. "I'll activate the Divider."


	4. A Change of Perception

**Chapter four:**

**A change of perception**

Raxet recovered from the split quickly, wiping blood and vomit from her lips and stepping aside to allow Riku passage into the Between. Riku collapsed upon passage. He had returned to the form that was not his, tall and brassy-skinned, turning Raxet's stomach with the resemblance to Xemnas. She nudged at him with her black-booted toe.

"Did you die, then?" His groan informed her that he had not. She squatted, her black Organization XIII uniform flowing and rippling around her ankles. Her sable-gloved hands knitted in his thick white hair and she tilted his head so she could see his empty yellow eyes "I could kill you while you lie there, you know. It would be more than justified. I'm not going to wait for you—I've got too much to do. I don't care what you think you're doing here in the Nothing; you don't belong. It's going to destroy you. I hope it's painful." She released her hold on his silver locks, standing as his head cracked the solid whiteness that surrounded them.

Being rejoined with Tera had added a new dimension to who and what Raxet was, what she knew, and how she saw this universe around her. She seemed, even to herself, stronger of mind. She felt abrasive, and angry. She was not truly mad at Riku, though she was not happy that he had taken Axel away in her last moments. She knew that he had a reasonable purpose, as he had explained to Tera.

She also knew that he was a confused boy who was an acting traitor to the light, and that made her edgy. He frightened her.

As she pushed a darkness door open, there was no hesitation, no error, as would have been before. The blackness billowed around her outstretched hand as if they had always been so well aquainted. She heard in the space that had once held a heart, an echo of Namine, telling her that the darkness in her soul was growing, and she brushed the fear this statement brought aside. As she disappeared into Nothing, she glimpsed Riku's golden eyes staring after her, his mouth agape.

She shivered. In his stolen body, he was so very much like Xemnas.

Raxet enjoyed the sensation of existence. It was particularly wonderful to have the strength again to stand. Tera was always in pain when she put pressure on her knees; the reconstructive surgery had been put off for more than a year and would continue to be put off until the woman was healthy enough to handle the anesthesia. Raxet gritted her teeth, knowing that this was just another way that Xemnas—Xehanort, really—had ruined Tera's life.

She pushed through the other side of the door to darkness, pondering still the injury that had crippled her other self. It was strange to possess memories that were not her own, memories that belonged to her and yet did not. It was strange to feel that she had been a witness to things she was not a part of, had no say in, and could not have changed an iota had she desired it in the deepest core of her being. Memories, she had discovered, were unsettling.

She remembered how Ansem had tried to shut down the research being conducted on the heartless, and closed the lab, when he had realized the immorality of his and his apprentices' actions. She remembered a sense of anxiety that clawed Tera's heart when he had asked Alex to keep an eye on the apprentice Xehanort, who had always possessed ambition that reached beyond his abilities.

She recalled Tera's unbearable pain that resulted from the "accident" at the lab, remembered how the woman had run frantically through the ruins of the empty laboratory in search of her missing husband, and how the unstable building had collapsed, crushing her legs. Ansem had felt so guilty, so responsible for the betrayal of Xehanort, he had been unable to face Tera or the rest of the community and had disappeared, leaving the broken woman alone in a broken world, never to return.

Raxet knew that Tera could not blame Ansem, was not angry with the man, but that did not stop Raxet from holding him responsible. She could see without bias that his actions had been careless, had caused that which she was a part of pain. Raxet was only a shadow of Tera, after all, and could think what she liked without interfering. It was both isolating and liberating. She wondered if Tera knew these secret thoughts rested inside her. The woman had had little trouble pulling Raxets memories from her own—she was well studied in the memories of the heart and had immediately detected Raxet's presence upon their return to completion.

Her awareness had made this venture possible. Raxet hoped that she was up to the task ahead; Tera trusted her, and she was not sure that she could return without succeeding—they would be broken, separated, forever. Raxet did not think either of them could stand it for long.

Raxet ran a gloved hand through her short, glacier hair as she took in her surroundings and pondered her next move. She was not comfortable in this realm she had emerged in.  
Though the divider that had allowed her to separate from Tera had pulled her into the Nothing, the door that Raxet opened lead somewhere else entirely; somewhere much, much darker.


End file.
